Skate.



G. W. TAYLOR.

SKATE.

APPLICATION FILED um. 25, 1911.

1,224,688. Patented May1,1917.

//Vl/t '/VTOR 2:96 WTayZor Br MANOR/v5 GEORGE w. TaYLon, or ROCHESTER, new YORK.

SKATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May l, 1917.

Application filed January 25, 1917. Serial No. 144,363.

To all whom 2'2 may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. TAYLOR, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Skates; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference numerals markedthereon.

My present invention relates to skates and it has for its particular object to provide a skate for use on ice or hardened snow, that can be readily applied over the shoes or overshoes of the user and securely fastened in place without danger of abrading the shoes. Another object is to produce a skate in which a single piece of resilient wire is employed to form the runner and heel and toe engaging portions. A further object is to provide a skate in which the downward pressure exerted by the weight of the user acts to secure it in place and prevent its accidental disengagement. To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of a skate constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a rear view thereof showing the relative position of the heel engaging portions before applying the skate to a shoe;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the position the heel engaging portions occupy when the skate is clamped upon a shoe, and

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on theline 55 of Fig. 3.

Similar reference characters in the several figures indicate the same parts.

A skate constructed in accordance with my invention is especially adapted for use on snow which has become compact by freezing or pressure, and in its preferred form embodies a single piece of elastic orspring wire doubled at its middle to form a loop 1, constituting a toe engaging portion which is bent downwardly on either side to follow the contour of the upper part of the toe of a shoe. The ends of the loop are brought toward each other and bent in spaced relation forwardly and downwardly over the toe as at 2, then' rearwardly parallel to each other, forming a. runner section composed of the runners 3. The wire is bent upwardly at the rear ends of the runners forming vertical portions 4 in rear of the heel, and at the upper ends of the portions 4 it bent forwardly on opposite sides of the heel to form heel. engaging portions 5, the free ends of the wire being coiled in loops 6 to prevent the shoe from being damaged. In order to draw the heel engaging portions 5 toward each other into contact with the heel to secure the skate in place, I provide the upwardly extending portions & with oppositely disposed converging surfaces, and mount thereon a sliding member 7 which engages said surfaces when moved vertically. Preferably the converging surfaces are formed by bending the portions at toward each other as at 8, so that they converge upwardly, and the slide 7 is in this case moved downwardly to clamp the heel portions. In the present instance, the member 7 is constructed of plates 9 and 10 bearing on opposite sides of the portions 4 and prevented from separation by a bolt or rivet 11. Flanges 12 at opposite edges of the plate 13 are bent inwardly to engage the inclined surfaces 8.

It is desirable that the slide 7 be moved to the position to secure the skate by downward pressure applied by contact with the shoe itself, and to this end the plate 7 is provided with an inwardly projecting portion 13 engaging beneath the heel of the shoe. In applying the skate the toe of the shoe is inserted beneath the loop 1 and the heel then pushed downwardly between the heel engaging portions until it engages the flange 13 on the slide 7, which occupies the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Pressure downwardly on the slide causes it to cooperate with the inclined surfaces 8, forcing the portions 4 toward each other and causing the heel engaging portions to bear against the heel of the shoe on either side thereof. The slide can move down wardly until the flange 10 thereon engages the runners 3, in which position the whole weight of the body is borne directly by the runners, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

In removing the skate downward pressure is exerted thereon while the slide 7 is held in contact with the heel. Thisallows the slide to occupy a position above the inclines 8, and the elasticity of the runners then separates the heel portions, as shown in Fig. 3.

I claim as my invention:

1. A skate comprising a pair runners connected at one end engaging portion extending upwardly the opposite end of each runner.

2. In a skate, the combination with a pair of runners connected to each other at one end, of a shoe engaging portion at the other end of each runner, and means for drawing the shoe engaging portions toward each other.

15. In a skate, the combination with a pair of runners connected to each other at one end, of a shoe ei'igaging portion at the other end of each runner, and means operated by downward pressure of the wearers shoe for drawing the shoe engaging portions toward each other.

41-. In a skate, the combination with a pair of runners connected at their front ends, and a heel engaging portion at the rear end of each runner, of means operated by downward pressure of the wearers heel for movof parallel and a shoe from ing the heel engaging portions toward each other.

5. In a skate, the combination with a pair of runners connected at their front ends, an upwardly extending portion at the rear end of each runner, and heel engaging portions at the upper ends of the upwardly extending portions, of means cooperating with the upwardly extending portions to draw the heel engaging portions toward each other.

6. In a skate, the combination with a pair of runners connected at their forward ends, upwardly extending portions having oppo sitely disposed converging surfaces at the rear ends of the runners and heel engaging portions at the upper ends of the upwardly extending portions, of a sliding member movable on the upwardly extending portions and engaging the converging surfaces to draw the heel engaging portions toward each other.

7. In a skate, the combination with a pair of runners connected at their forward ends, upwardly extending portions having oppositely disposed converging surfaces at the rear ends of the runners and heel engaging portions at the upper ends of the upwardly extending portions, of a sliding member movable on the upwardly extending portions in a downward direction by engagement beneath the heel of a shoe, and engaging the converging surfaces to draw the heel engaging portions toward each other.

8. A skate embodying a toe engaging portion, a pair of parallel runners connected to the toe engaging portion at one end and a heel engaging portion connected to the opposite end of each runner.

9. A skate composed of a single piece of metal bent to form a toe engaging portion, parallel horizontal runners extending rearwardly from the toe engaging portion, and heel gripping portions bent upwardly from the opposite ends of the runners. 10. A skate embodying a wire doubled at its middle to form a toe engaging portion, the doubled portions being bent in spaced relation to extend forwardly over the toe of a shoe, then parallel to each other beneath the shoe, then vertically behind the heel and then forwardly on opposite sides of the heel to form heel engaging portions.

11. A skate embodying a wire doubled at its middle to form a toe engaging portion, the doubled portions being bent in spaced relation to extend forwardly over the toe of a shoe, then parallel to each other beneath the shoe, then vertically behind the heel and then forwardly on opposite sides of the heel to form heel engaging portions, the vertical portions converging upwardly near their ends, and a slide movable downwardly on the vertical portions and engaging the converging portions to draw the heel engaging portions toward each other.

12. In a skate, the combination with a toe engaging portion, of a runner section connected thereto at its forward end, heel engaging portions connected to the runner section at its rear end, and means cooperating with the wearers shoe and operated by downward movement thereof for moving the heel engaging portions toward each other.

A skate composed of a single piece of metal bent to form a rearwardly and downwardly extending toe loop, a horizontal supporting portion or runner and upwardly and forwardly extending gripping arms at the ,rear and above the runner in combination with a vertically movable heel support arranged above the runner cooperating with the rear gripping arms to move the latter laterally by the downward movement of the support.

GEORGE W. TAYLOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

